The secretary knocked on the door, and Guan Ze answered from his chair, "Come in."
The door was pushed open and the secretary entered the office: "Mr. Guan, this Mr. Lin wants to see you."
Guan Ze looked at the man standing behind the secretary, stood up and smiled.
"Lin Zong." The man walked to his desk and extended his hand.
"Guan Ze," Guan Ze stretched out his hand and shook his, "Sit down."
"Mr. Lin, would you like tea or coffee?" the secretary asked at the door.
Lin Zong glanced at Guan Ze's table: "Tea, thank you."
When the secretary was about to leave, Guan Ze stopped her and pointed to his cabinet: "That tea."
"Okay." The secretary opened the cabinet and took out the tea. The tea room in the company was filled with ordinary tea. When important customers came, Guan Ze would let her use his own tea.
When the secretary made the tea and brought it in, neither of them spoke. They just sat quietly across the table. The atmosphere made the girl a little nervous. She put the tea in front of Lin Zong, said, "Please have some tea," and then hurried out.
Lin Zong picked up the tea and took a sip: "Good tea, but the water temperature is too high."
Guan Ze smiled. Lin Zong and Lin Yao look very similar. Both of them probably resemble their mother in terms of appearance, but Lin Zong has a maturity, sophistication and sense of oppression that Lin Yao does not have at all.
This kind of temperament would not be possessed by a child like Lin Yao who grew up under care. It was estimated that he would never be able to make Guan Ze feel the low pressure in the room like Lin Zong did in his entire life.
Little foxes born from an old fox
"Or I'll soak it again." Guan Ze smiled and prepared to stand up.
"No," Lin Zong waved his hand and put the teacup back on the table, "I'm not here to drink tea."
Guan Ze leaned back in his chair. Lin Zong certainly didn't come here to drink tea. He didn't say anything else, waiting for Lin Zong to speak. He knew very well why Lin Zong came, but he was not sure what Lin Zong's purpose was. He could only say that Lin Zong was definitely not here just to meet him.
"Excuse me for checking you," Lin Zong pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from his coat pocket and threw it on the table, "I thought you wouldn't mind."
Guan Ze took the paper, opened it and took a look. The information on it was so detailed that he raised his eyebrows. How long did Lin Zong take to investigate this? When did it start
"Lin Yao is really not like you in this respect." Guan Ze put down the paper and looked at Lin Zong.
"That's why you are interested in him." Lin Zong smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes.
"It's not the only reason." Guan Ze stared at Lin Zong. Lin Zong's attitude suddenly made him realize that what Lin Yao said before about worrying that Lin Zong would find out was already too late. Lin Zong should have known it a long time ago.
"If I'm not mistaken, the people you dated before were all girlfriends. There's no sign that you're interested in men," Lin Zong held his forehead with his hand and looked at him, "Why?"
"It's hard to explain this kind of thing, there's no reason," Guan Ze said calmly, his speech speed never changing, "Having a girlfriend all the time doesn't mean you won't suddenly have feelings for a man one day."
"Guan Ze," Lin Zong sat up straight, his tone changed a little, "My brother is very simple and naive. He has no clear concept of feelings. He gets whatever he wants, and the consequences are not the first thing he considers."
"I know that." Guan Ze smiled. Lin Yao said from the beginning that he only wanted to have a reciprocated relationship, and he couldn't take care of other things for the time being.
"Then you should also know that he doesn't dare tell his family at all." Lin Zong picked up the cup and took a sip of tea.
"yes."
"That's why I came today, what do you want?"
Lin Zong's question surprised Guan Ze. What did he want to do? To be honest, he hadn't thought about it.
"Lin Yao wanted to eat candy, and I was willing to give it to him, so I gave it to him. It's that simple." Guan Ze replied.
"The candy is gone?" Lin Zong stood up, holding his hands on the table and looking at him, "He doesn't dare to tell his family, how are you going to play with him?"
"There will be candy. As long as he wants it, I will give it to him," Guan Ze frowned. Lin Zong's aggressive words made him feel uncomfortable. "If he doesn't want it, I won't keep throwing candy at him."
"It seems like you're serious." Lin Zong also frowned.
“I haven’t played it.”
"Then let me make it clear," Lin Zong sat back in his chair, "I won't give Lin Yao a chance to talk to his family. It's useless if he gets stuck in this, so if you're serious, please seriously consider the consequences of letting him get stuck deeper and deeper."
Guan Ze didn't say anything. He originally wanted to have a good talk with Lin Zong. Although Lin Yao was very afraid of Lin Zong, he could see that the two brothers had a good relationship. He felt that if there was anyone who could support Lin Yao, it would be Lin Zong.
However, Lin Zong's tough attitude was somewhat beyond his expectations.
"If he doesn't like women, what's the point of doing this?" Guan Ze flicked his fingers on the table. "I also made it clear that I won't force Lin Yao to tell his family, but as long as he says it, I will definitely not back out."
Lin Zong stared at him for a long time, and finally sighed: "You know, our family was very poor before. My father worked as a contractor outside, and he was cheated out of his house and sold it. He didn't come home for several years."
Guan Ze didn't say anything, just listened quietly. Although he didn't know why Lin Zong suddenly said this, he was willing to listen. Lin Yao was still young at that time and his memory of that period was very vague.
"My mother raised the two of us alone. She had to earn money to support us and deal with the debt collectors every day. I can't even remember how many times her small grocery store was smashed," Lin Zong took the cup and shook it in his hand. "Lin Yao didn't feel it, but I saw clearly how much my mother suffered. My mother said that if it weren't for us brothers, she would have died long ago."
Guan Ze remained silent, but he had begun to understand what Lin Zong meant by this.
"I wasn't the first one to know about Lin Yao," Lin Zong smiled, "it was my mother."
Guan Ze was a little surprised. Lin Yao's mother? The mother who was always smiling and as innocent as Lin Yao
"This is something I really didn't expect." Guan Ze said.
"My mother couldn't accept it. She's a traditional woman. She couldn't accept it, and she couldn't understand it. Her biggest wish was for us to get married and have children, and live together as a family," Lin Zong finally got to the point. "So she kept pretending not to know, because she was afraid that once this matter was exposed, it would be irreversible. She naively waited that one day Lin Yao would grow up and like girls."
"I understand what you mean." Guan Ze pinched his fingers. Lin Zong's reason was much more powerful than his strong request to himself not to let Lin Yao fall further.
A mother who devotes her whole heart to her son only wants her son to get married and have children normally.
"I won't let my mother get hurt, even if this person is my brother." Lin Zong brushed off his pants, stood up again and supported himself on the table, slowly approaching Guan Ze, "Guan Ze, don't let our family experience any more pain. Lin Yao is too naive. Once the family that has taken care of him since he was a child becomes a mess, he won't be able to cope with it at all."
Guan Ze didn't say anything or move, he just leaned quietly in his chair.
Lin Zong had investigated him, knew his past, and could accurately find his most vulnerable points.
He had always envied Lin Yao for having such a warm family, a mother who was a poor cook but loved him wholeheartedly, and a gentle family atmosphere that had never changed. All of these were what he longed for but never had.
Lin Zong accurately punched him on the soft spot that could not be touched the most, causing his thoughts to become a mess in an instant.
Behind Lin Yao's mother's smile and kindness every time when she saw him, there was a deep pain. This was something he had never expected and what he could not accept the most.
"I came to see you, but my mother didn't know." Lin Zong put the paper on the table into the shredder next to him and watched the scraps of paper slide into the trash can. "If she knew, she wouldn't let me come, but it's a good thing I came."
Lin Zong turned around and looked at Guan Ze: "What I am most worried about is that you are serious."
"Are you afraid that I can't let go?" Guan Ze didn't look at him, his eyes fell on the blinds opposite.
"Yes, but," Lin Zong zipped up his jacket, "you are much calmer than I thought. You will handle it."
Guan Ze didn't notice when Lin Zong left the office. It was not until the secretary knocked on his door and came in to put a fax on his desk that he came back to his senses.
My head started to hurt, and my temples were throbbing and aching.
He took the fax, glanced at it briefly and put it down. He found that he couldn't understand the contents at all.
The phone vibrated. It was a text message from Lin Yao.
Just three words: tea room.
Guan Ze put his phone back into his pocket, stood up, and when he walked around the desk, he saw the scraps of paper in the trash can on the side. His heart skipped a beat and his vision became a little blurred.
He quickly stopped and held the edge of the table.
After the darkness in front of his eyes dissipated, he took his cup and slowly walked out of the office.
Lin Yao was fiddling with the coffee in the tea room, doing a horse stance, squatting down, standing up, squatting down again, and then standing up again.
"No more exercises." Guan Ze walked in and said.
"I'll do it later. Let me stretch my numb butt and legs first." Lin Yao glanced outside the tea room door and saw that there was no one there. He came over and bumped into him. "I'll go get you a thermos cup tonight. I need to warm up first."
"I want the blue one." Guan Ze smiled. Looking at Lin Yao's smile, he suddenly felt uncomfortable in his heart. He quickly turned around and took a pack of coffee.
"How are you going to spend the New Year's Day holiday? Our whole family has to go out on the 1st, and we can't ask for leave. Let's go out and have fun on the 2nd, sing songs or something." Lin Yao didn't notice his mood. "I haven't treated anyone for a long time. I have to invite Lian Jun and the others out for a drink. Can you come with us?"
"Okay." Guan Ze tore open the coffee bag.
"What are you doing?" Lin Yao suddenly nudged him with his elbow. "Are you too tired today?"
"Huh?" Guan Ze glanced at him, then realized that he had poured all the coffee foam into the trash can and was putting the coffee bag into the cup.
"Drinking coffee from a bag can make you stupid," Lin Yao said with a sigh, and handed him another bag of coffee. "Let's just follow the crowd and drink coffee."
"Okay." Guan Ze nodded.
When Lin Yao got off work in the afternoon, he did not meet Guan Ze in the elevator. After getting in the car at the parking lot, he called Guan Ze. Guan Ze said that he had to work overtime and leave late. He heard the fatigue in Guan Ze's tone.
"If you're tired, just put it off for a few days. You're a director after all, right? You're not like us little minions," Lin Yao started the car. "I'll grab some more delicious food for you in the evening. Wait for my call, wife."
"Yeah," Guan Ze responded, "Lin Yao..."
"ah?"
"I'll go to the hospital in a few days."
"Does this mean you're afraid to ask me to accompany you?" Lin Yao chuckled.
"Just to tell you."
"Good boy, check it out early and it will be over sooner."
Guan Ze was not in a very good mood. Although there was just some fatigue in his tone, Lin Yao still felt that it was different from usual. Guan Ze was a workaholic, and even if he was tired from work, he would not be in this state.
Lin Yao thought about it while driving, and finally came to the conclusion that he was probably afraid to go to the hospital.
In fact, although he had been urging Guan Ze to go and have a look, he was still quite unsure. He was also afraid that Guan Ze might find out about some serious problem, but it was not a good idea to keep him hanging like this.
It’s just that he felt that Guan Ze was in good health and had no early symptoms of serious illness, so he always thought positively.
When I got home, my mother had already prepared dinner. Lin Zong was also at home, rolling up his sleeves to help his mother set the table.
"Why are you back?" Lin Yao's heart started beating fast when he saw Lin Zong.
"You don't want to see me so much? Then please bear with me," Lin Zong poured his mother's special drink into the cup. "I've been staying at home these few days. The weather is cold and the business at the resort is slow."
"Just after finishing their meals, they all accompanied me to grab the goods. One pushed a cart while the other went to grab the goods," my mother came out of the kitchen with a smile, "It's good to have more sons."
"I'll push the cart," Lin Yao washed his hands and came out to sit at the table, grabbing the position first, "My brother will go grab the goods."
"Whatever. I don't expect you to. Last year, you circled around the aunties' circle four times but couldn't get in," Lin Zong smiled. "Don't expect you to get anything."
"That's right," my mother agreed, "but you two are not as good as your dad. When your dad had time, he would accompany me to rob. That's what we call level. Ten old ladies are no match for him."
Lin Yao was happy. His father was very depressed when he mentioned that his mother forced him to join a group of women in rummaging through the discount cabinets, but he never dared to say it out loud to dampen his mother's enthusiasm.
In fact, our family doesn’t lack the money from the shopping mall sales. Going to the mall to buy discounted goods during holidays is one of my mother’s pleasures.
But this time Lin Yao had a target, so it was not in vain that he squeezed Guan Ze's thermos cup.
There were a lot of people in the mall, and there were signs everywhere announcing New Year's Day discounts. My mother rushed forward majestically with a small bag on her shoulder, heading straight for the supermarket with a clear goal.
There were a lot of things piled up on the discount shelves in the supermarket. Mom got excited when she saw them. She dragged a kid out and pushed him in front of Lin Yao: "Follow me, Lin Zongshang!"
"Do you have a specific goal?" Lin Zong rolled up his sleeves.
"No, just go along the way," my mother pointed to a long row of counters in the middle, "starting from the 2 yuan a piece!"
"Okay." Lin Zong squeezed directly into the middle of a group of old ladies.
Lin Yao hurriedly followed. Not long after, Lin Zong threw a few cups and toothpicks into the car, as well as a few facial masks. Lin Yao sighed, "What the hell is this?"
"I don't know, I just took a few." Lin Zong patted his shoulder and squeezed into the five-yuan pile again, taking out a few milk bottles and three bottles of soy sauce, and also picked up a few different cups.
"What do you want this for?" Lin Yao looked at the bottle helplessly, "This is a bottle, you even don't let go of the bottle."
"Wow, the milk bottle is only five dollars, so cheap," my mother was very happy, "keep it, when you get married, I will give your wife a few bikinis and milk bottles, they will all be useful."
"Mom..." At this moment, Lin Yao suddenly had the urge to tell his wife that she couldn't use a bikini or a bottle.
"Huh?" Mom looked at him.
"Go get the ten-dollar one," Lin Zong suddenly patted the shopping cart, "Don't talk nonsense now, just focus."
Lin Yao pushed the cart and followed his mother and Lin Zong all the way. Finally, he saw the thermos cup on the shelf next to the pile of things priced at 39.9 yuan. He quickly rushed over, picked out a blue one and put it in the cart.
"This isn't on sale, idiot," Mom glanced at the label and yelled at Lin Zong, "Do you have a thermos? Take one out."
"Yes," Lin Zong squeezed out of the crowd, holding a bunch of things in his hands, "but it's a bit ugly."
Lin Yao looked at the thermos cup in Lin Zong's hand that looked like a flashlight, and his face turned green: "Don't want this, it's too ugly."
"You want a thermos?" Lin Zong looked at him.
"... Yeah." Lin Yao nodded.
"When did you start drinking hot water? Don't you drink iced milk tea in winter?" Lin Zong asked.
Lin Yao was sweating. He really never used this stuff. He liked to drink cold things. He gritted his teeth and said, "I want to take care of my health now..."
"You..." Lin Zong wanted to say something but was interrupted by his mother.
The mother pushed Lin Zong and urged him to continue to get things: "Just take care of your health, improve the quality of sperm and make your child healthy in the future. It's not good to always drink cold drinks."
"Hey—" Lin Yao leaned over the car, his face twisted, "Mom, please keep your voice down..."
After shopping in the supermarket for more than two hours, my mother finally went to check out satisfied. Lin Yao felt his legs were swollen and he kept wanting to climb up while pushing the cart.
When he got home, he dug out the thermos from among several large bags of inexplicable things. While Lin Zong was accompanying his mother to count the spoils and had no time to pay attention to him, he ran back to his room with the cup.
Guan Ze's phone rang for a long time before it was picked up. Lin Yao heard Guan Ze's confused voice: "Hello?"
"Are you asleep?" Lin Yao lay down on the bed and put his legs on the wall.
"No, I was watching TV," Guan Ze smiled, "Are you back?"
"Well, I bought you a cup, but my brother is also at home today, and my mom dragged him along. He must have been suspicious when I picked out the cup. I never use a thermos cup, so I had to say that I started to take care of my health."
"You don't have to buy it today. I'm not in a hurry," Guan Ze sighed, "You're still taking care of your health."
"I didn't think that much," Lin Yao also sighed, "Guan Ze, let me tell you something."
"What's up?"
"I really can't stand it anymore." Lin Yao turned over and hugged the quilt.
"Can't stand what?"
"It's like being a thief all day long. It's so tiring. I..."
"No." Guan Ze interrupted him before he could finish, his tone very firm.
"What do you mean you don't want it?" Lin Yao was stunned for a moment, then he was a little confused when he realized what was going on. "Why not? Are you..."